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10 Events That Changed Rock and Roll Forever

04/11/2011
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(Gibson) Rock and roll history and cultural history are aligned in profound ways, with the music generally reflecting the times in which it is being made. Sometimes, however, rock undergoes a seismic shift that impacts not only the culture at-large, but also the future course of rock itself. Gibson takes a look at ten seminal rock events that shook the music in ways that reverberate to this day. Here are a couple.

Ike Turner Records "Rocket 88": Determining what constitutes the very first rock and roll song is a dicey proposition, but a strong case can be made for "Rocket 88." Recorded by Ike Turner and his band (with Jackie Brenston on guest vocals) at Sam Phillips' Memphis studio in March 1951, the R&B boogie-rocker was fitted with one of the first instances of fuzz guitar. "Man, I had no idea that that song was going to be what it became," Turner said decades later, in an interview with Gibson.com. The song topped the R&B charts for five weeks that summer.

The Beatles Appear on The Ed Sullivan Show: On Sunday, February 9, 1964, 73 million viewers tuned in to watch The Beatles perform for the first time on The Ed Sullivan Show. The following week, a sizeable portion of America's school kids began growing moptops and imploring their parents to buy them guitars. The British Invasion was underway and rock and roll would never be the same. Read the full list here

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